Madueke rounds the keeper, hits the post — and the internet sent England the bill
A glaring miss by Madueke in the friendly against Costa Rica went viral and reignited the debate over the absences from England's 2026 World Cup squad.
In the 35th minute of the first half of the friendly between England and Costa Rica in Orlando, Noni Madueke received a through ball, entered the box alone, rounded the opposing goalkeeper and struck the post. The moment, which could have been a textbook goal, quickly swept across social media and made the forward the talking point of the day.
According to ge, the play went viral in no time and triggered a flood of comments. A large portion of internet users seized the moment to lament the absence of Cole Palmer, Phil Foden and Morgan Gibbs-White from the England squad, arguing that any one of the three would have converted the chance more easily. The match against Costa Rica was the national team's final test before the start of the 2026 World Cup.
The episode comes at a time of heightened scrutiny for England. Under Thomas Tuchel, the English are in Group L alongside Croatia, Ghana and Panama — and they open against Croatia, in Dallas, on June 17. The Golmetria model gives England a 93.76% chance of advancing from the group stage and a 6.88% probability of winning the title, while Croatia sits at 85.87% chances of qualification and 2.37% chances of being champions. In the market, the odds imply a 10.98% chance of an English title against just 1.16% for the Croatians.
What happens in the group's opening clash on June 17 will already say a great deal about how much that missed goal will weigh — or whether it will simply be forgotten.